Balance of Time
by tswheaton
Summary: The Doctor and Bill find themselves in a factory building deadly silver men, but what happens when the Doctor is forced to intervene?


**RECOMMENDATION: For optimal viewing please set "Story Width" to 1/2.**

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 **Doctor Who:  
Balance of Time**  
by  
tswheaton

FIRST DRAFT, 2016  
© TRAVIS S WHEATON, 2017  
Australian Writers Guild  
Geelong, AU

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 **INT. FACTORY**

Out of the pitch blackness a flashing light suddenly appears, and with it the outline of a 1960's Police Telephone Box. The light ceases to flash, offering shadowy illumination to its immediate surrounds — some kind of complex workshop.

Slowly one of the box's double doors opens inwards, and a grey headed figure emerges, followed closely by a shorter, much more attitudinal figure.

Struggling to see much beyond the cone of light offered by the box's beacon, the DOCTOR pauses, and is promptly run into by BILL.

The Doctor's jaw clenches as he takes an extra step forward to gain some space, however Bill again follows, and again bumps into him in the darkness, causing the Doctor's jaw to hurt. Carefully turning around, he sniffs at the air.

THE DOCTOR  
Titanium, silicone, and… refined  
petrochemicals. Either we've landed  
in some kind of secret underground  
military weapons base, or —

The Doctor flicks his sonic in the air, and a row of lights flick on in sequence, illuminating several work stations, and behind them, row up on row of shiny metal men. Bill gasps in shock at the sight.

THE DOCTOR (con't)  
Never mind — it was the first one.

Bill returns to the Doctor's shadow, as she stares at the scene before her.

BILL  
Cybermen!

THE DOCTOR  
No.

Bill frowns, stepping out from behind the Doctor, moving closer to examine the metallic humanoid form closest to her. It looks like a medieval suit of armour.

BILL  
But you told me, they are made of  
metal, and -

Quickly sidestepping around Bill, the Doctor puts out a cautious hand to quell her curiosity.

THE DOCTOR  
Yes, but these are not Cybermen.  
They are far worse. A Cyberman  
may want to convert you, to chop  
you up and meld your body with  
metal and plastic to make you be  
just like it. But this is an army  
of Gundan robots, and all they do  
is kill.

Bill pulls a face.

BILL  
I think I'd rather take my chances with  
them, then. So you've encountered  
them before, the Gundan?

THE DOCTOR  
Probably after. Or during. I'd say this  
is before.

The Doctor examines one of the Gundan closely.

THE DOCTOR (con't)  
They'd seen better days, though  
still deadly with an axe. I managed  
to repair one, very chatty chappy…

Bill's face drops as she looks back toward the TARDIS and sees an elderly lady quietly appear through a nearby doorway, gun drawn.

JARNI  
Choose yours words carefully stranger,  
or your story has reached its end.  
What do you know of my Guardians.  
You can't be here by coincidence,  
not when the time is so close.

The Doctor spins around with a beaming smile on his face, arms out wide.

THE DOCTOR  
Time? What is Time to a Time Lord?  
You don't need to kill us. We're just  
a couple of tourists. That's a mighty  
army of deadly robot killing machines  
you have here.

As the Doctor talks, he slowly walks to place himself between Jarni and Bill. Jarni aims the gun right at the Doctor's head.

JARNI  
You said you fixed a Guardian.

THE DOCTOR  
Guardian? Guar... Gun... dan… Ah.

JARNI  
You will fix mine, or die.

The Doctor's smile has vanished. He looks over his shoulder.

THE DOCTOR  
Since you put it so politely, I guess  
we could help. What do you think,  
Romana?

Behind him, Bill has simply vanished, replaced with Romana II, who grimaces.

ROMANA  
What have you got us into now,  
Doctor?

 **.**

 **OPENING TITLES**

 **.**

 _That is the end of this "story" - it is just the pre-title sequence to a "companion-lite" story, with Bill replaced by classic series companion, Romana. The story revolves around the Gundan robots, deadly machines built to kill the cruel Tharils. The robots are built and ready to carry out their job - except their software is faulty. The Doctor is tasked with their repair, with Romana helping him. With the outcome potentially altering the events of "Warriors Gate", Romana has entered a state of flux, whereby she now stayed with the Doctor throughout his last 8 lives... Ultimately both become aware of this anomaly, and attempt to correct history, despite knowing this will rob them of a past that they both know to be false, and yet very, very comforting..._


End file.
